Wednesday, July 11, 2007

On behalf of the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center in Palestine, We would like to invite you to A Conference of Independent Trade Unions in Palestine on July 27 and 28, 2007, In Ramallah, Palestine

Democratic and independent unions in Palestine have decided to join together in order to make their voices heard.

Currently, there are four competing labor federations in Palestine—three controlled by Fatah and one by Hamas. None of these federations have had genuine democratic elections of their leadership in recent years and appointments and distribution of positions in the executive boards are made on a political basis.

This situation has considerably weakened the trade union movement and it has become necessary to create a movement independent of political factions in order to truly represent the will of Palestinian workers.

The goal of the conference is to strengthen independent trade unions and to liberate the labor movement from the hegemony of political factions and the Palestinian Authority.

Independent and democratic unions in the following sectors will participate in the founding conference: financial, health, pharmaceutical, university professors and employees, telecommunications, municipalities and electricity.

Your participation will allow you to become acquainted with the grassroots Palestinian trade union movement and with union leaders elected by their peers to lead the day-to-day struggle for decent work, social protection and equality.

We look forward to count you among us for this memorable event. Should you be able to come, please notify us as soon as possible. The detailed program of the conference will be available within a week.

Sincerely,

Hasan BarghouthiGeneral Director

Normally, I have a bias against dual unions, but this is a different case. I suspect that the existing unions are really not unions, but ideological structures of Fatah and Hamas. The cause of independent and democratic unions in Palestine should be supported.